PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ source regions in the southeastern Baltic based on data from the Diabla Góra background station

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-1-31-233-248

View or download the article (Rus)

About the Authors

Sheyar Abdo

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Higher School of Living Systems,
2, Universitetskaya str., Kaliningrad, 236041, Russia,
E-mail: abdosheyar@gmail.com

Yulia V. Koroleva

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Higher School of Living Systems,
2, Universitetskaya str., Kaliningrad, 236041, Russia,
E-mail: yu.koroleff@yandex.ru

Abstract

This study investigates the potential sources of atmospheric particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) pollution at the Diabla Gora atmospheric background station, situated in the southeastern Baltic Region, from 2021 to 2023. The analysis employed backward air mass trajectory modeling using the HYSPLIT_4 system, cluster analysis, and the Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT) method. These integrated approaches enabled spatial characterization of potential pollution sources and identification of dominant air mass transport pathways responsible for aerosol influx to the monitoring site. Results revealed pronounced seasonal variability in PM concentrations, with peak levels during winter and spring months attributable to increased residential heating emissions and meteorological conditions unfavorable for pollutant dispersion. Air masses originating from Western Europe, Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic States accounted for the highest proportion of polluted trajectories, frequently associated with exceedances of daily air quality standards. Conversely, summer and autumn exhibited reduced PM concentrations due to diminished anthropogenic emissions and enhanced atmospheric dispersion, though eastern airflows-maintained influence. Autumn showed intensified contributions from northwestern and eastern pathways. Spatiotemporal distributions of PM source regions, identified through cluster analysis and CWT, demonstrated consistent seasonal patterns, confirming methodological robustness. These findings underscore the efficacy of integrated approaches for investigating transboundary atmospheric aerosol transport in the region.

Keywords

transboundary pollution, TrajStat, HYSPLIT, CWT

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For citation: Abdo Sh., Koroleva Yu.V. PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ source regions in the southeastern Baltic based on data from the Diabla Góra background station. InterCarto. InterGIS. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2025. V. 31. Part 1. P. 233–248. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-1-31-233-248 (in Russian)